A Golden Opportunity - Not Alone
by Reika-Hell-Flower
Summary: My brother hates me. I have no friends. Everyone knows me as "the coward who's afraid of Freddy Fazbear's". But I know the truth. I know what happened... And it still haunts me... I can't stop the nightmares... But at least I have her... At least... I am not alone... I have to believe that it will get better... Tomorrow is another day...
1. Chapter 1 - Ryan Martins

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Five Nights at Freddy's" or its characters.**

 **[A/N - Hello readers! As announced, here is the first chapter of the story told from the POV of the Poor Child from FNAF 4, which in my AU is named Ryan Martins. He has been mentioned by other characters in others arcs of my FanFiction series, if you read them...**

 **Anyway, I'll get this out of the way already - the Bite of 87 is a bit different here... When I came up with the story of how I thought the Bite took place, FNAF 4 hadn't been announced yet, so the one responsible for the Bite and the victim were not as they were shown in the game... I managed to put the story of FNAF 4 into my AU anyway though, but just be aware, the bot that causes the Bite is not Fredbear / Golden Freddy in my AU because of this...**

 **Now that that's settled, on to the story!]**

* * *

Why… Why did he have to be there…?

He hated that place, everyone knew that. He hated every single part of that pizzeria. The walls, the ceiling, the tables, the chairs, and especially the animatronics – he hated all of it. He hated it and he _feared_ it. Still, they insisted on taking him there, day after day.

The seven-year old boy sobbed as he sulked in the corner. He followed all the children running around with his dark eyes, wondering how they all could look so cheerful and carefree. If they knew what he did, they wouldn't look so happy… If they had seen what he _saw_ … they'd hate Freddy Fazbear's Pizza too.

That place they were in was, as far as the outside world knew, a fun place for "kids and grown-ups alike", but for Ryan Martins, it was a nightmare factory. A place he'd avoid if he could at all costs. Unfortunately for him, everything and everyone in his life seemed to be doing all in its power to make him as miserable as humanly possible.

For one, his house was practically right next to the pizzeria, so there was that. Even on his way on to school he had to see that monstrosity… Then, if seeing it every day from a distance wasn't bad enough, he had to visit it regularly with his brother. His parents weren't at home very often, and so, when he got home from school, he'd be at the mercy of his older brother – Erik Martins, a sixteen year-old brute whose biggest joy in life was making Ryan feel as upset as he could. As part of his "make Ryan cry everyday" campaign, Erik would often drag the reluctant child to the pizzeria, where the teenager did some work sometimes by helping out the entertainers or handing out pamphlets to spread the word about the pizzeria. Unlike Ryan, Erik quite enjoyed being at Freddy Fazbear's. Him and his stupid friends.

And so, this was just another day on the sad routine that was Ryan Martins' depressing life. Waking up in the morning, going to school without even seeing his parents, spending his day there with no friends, and finally arrive home only to be taken to the pizzeria where he'd spend the next two hours trying to merge with the wall and stay unnoticed. A _wonderful_ life…

"I wanna go home…" he sobbed, burying his face in his arms as he hugged his knees. At least at home he had nothing to fear. For now. "I wanna go home…"

He looked up, trying to spot his brother in the crowd. As far as he could tell, Erik was nowhere to be seen. At home, this would be a cause for concern – it would probably mean he was out hiding somewhere… - but at the pizzeria, it was a good thing. He could escape. He could leave the pizzeria without Erik noticing.

Ryan knew that he'd have to hear it from both his brother if he left without telling him, but he'd handle it. As always, he'd handle it. It wasn't the first time he got yelled at by his brother anyway.

The child stood up, sniffed one last time, and tried to make his way through the mob of children that pushed and elbowed their way towards the stage, where a group of three animatronics were up to their usual performance. Ryan didn't look at the stage. He couldn't bear to even glance at them. They always made him freeze in fear.

To all the other children, there was no better way to spend the afternoon than to watch Toy Freddy, Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica sing their favorite songs. Ryan, to keep up with his habit to dislike everything that everyone else seemed to like, didn't enjoy their songs at all. Maybe it was because it was the robots singing them…

' _I'm gonna make it,'_ he thought to himself, as he spotted the exit. _'I'm gonna make it… I'm gonna make it…'_

He was just about to reach the exit, when he heard a voice calling. The voice had the same effect it always did – he flinched and whimpered. He knew that voice. And the tone it carried now only meant one thing – he had been caught.

"Ryan – where the hell do you think you're going?"

A firm hand seized his shoulder and forced him to turn around, facing his capturer. It was Erik, who, as usual, smirked at the prospect of torturing his little brother.

"Thinking of running away with your tail between your legs like a coward again, huh?" he spat, shaking Ryan harshly. "When are you going to grow a pair and be a man?"

Ryan tried to release himself from his brother's grasp, but his efforts were being wasted. He had never been able to outmatch his brother in strength, and he feared the day would never come when he would be able to accomplish such a feat. He blamed it on the age difference – his brother usually blamed it on the fact that Ryan was too much of a wuss.

"Please let me go," Ryan pleaded. "You know I don't like it here… Just let me go home, I won't bother you…"

"You're already bothering me with your constant crying and whining," Erik grunted. "If I have to put up with having to watch over you, at least make yourself small and insignificant and just sit in the corner like I told you to!"

Ryan shook his head, still trying to push his brother's hand away from him, to no avail. "I don't want to be here!" he cried. "Please, Erik, let me go home…"

Erik sighed with false despair and rolled his eyes. "Ryan, Ryan… Yet again you defy my authority…" he mused, which made his brother shiver even more. He was in for punishment now… "You know what? Since I can't trust you with the simple task of sitting in a corner, I'll have to ensure that you don't leave without my consent. I can't keep watching you, you know? Unlike you, I have stuff to do. So I'll have to lock you somewhere you can't run away from…"

"NO!" Ryan wailed. "Please, don't lock me in here, please! I don't want to – I promise I won't try to leave! P-please, Erik!"

His brother paid no mind to his cries, as usual. "Off we go, Ryan," he teased, dragging his brother through the crowed as if the young boy was nothing but a rag doll. "Now, where can I put you – ha! There we go, perfect spot don't you think?"

Ryan looked at the room his brother had led him towards in horror. It was a dark and ominous room, much different from the cheerful-looking dining areas of the pizzeria. There were only two animatronics there, ones that were not used very often – a golden bear and a golden bunny. Both looked worn out, and different in built from the other robots. The mere sight of the golden bear – called Golden Freddy -, in particular, was enough to make Ryan burst into tears.

"I-I don't want… Please, don't l-lock me in here w-with h-him…" he begged.

"What, old Fredbear?" Erik knocked on the bear's head and laughed. "Why would you be so scared of good ol' Freddy? It wouldn't be because of his big teeth and scary empty eyes, would it? Now, Ryan, get in there." He pushed his brother into the room carelessly, and then took a step back.

Ryan fell on the hard floor with a thud, landing right next to the large golden bear. "Ow!" he whimpered. "E-Erik, please!"

"See you in two hours, loser!"

Erik slammed the door shut, and what little light was coming in from the outside disappeared. Ryan was locked in that dark room now, with nothing but two golden animatronics serving as company.

Ryan wasn't sure how long he stayed in that dark room, pounding on the door. The noise outside made it hard for anyone walking by to listen to his cries for help, so he really wasn't counting on anyone showing up to rescue him anytime soon. That didn't prevent him from trying, of course.

"GET ME OUT!" he screeched. "PLEASE!"

The child refused to look back at his surroundings as he tried to make as much noise as possible. Of all animatronics, Golden Freddy slash Fredbear was the one he feared the most. He had seen what Golden Freddy was capable of… What he did when the doors were closed… when there was no one else around…

"P-please… I'm scared…" Ryan fell on his knees, his tired fists doing nothing but light knockings on the door now. "I… I-I want to go home…"

"Are you okay?"

Ryan froze. His eyes got very round. He sniffed. Someone had just spoken to him. _Someone had just spoken to him._

He dared a peek over his shoulder, but all he saw were the same golden suits, slumped in the darkness. "W… who's there…?"

"Don't be scared," the voice ushered immediately. It was a soothing, gentle voice. Sounded like a girl, and from what Ryan knew, neither Golden Freddy nor Spring Bonnie were girls. "I won't hurt you."

A figure emerged from the shadows of the ominous room. A small child, shorter than Ryan – as he suspected, it was a girl. Her hair was black, and it reached her chest. Her eyes were amber-ish in color, and looked at him with a kind expression.

"Hello," she greeted. "My name is Rika. What is your name?"

Ryan sniffed. How long had she been there? "R… Ryan…" he responded, trying to wipe his tears away before she could see them.

She smiled. "What are you doing here, Ryan?" she wanted to know. "Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't crying!" he denied, though his voice was trembling. "I was j-just… I'm not supposed to be here so…"

The girl called Rika giggled. "Right, right."

"What are you doing here?" the boy wanted to know, pouting as he recognized the girl's giggle as being one of the "oh look at him, trying to play tough, so cute" variety. "I didn't notice you at all…"

"I heard you pounding on the door," she informed. "Can I ask who locked you in here?"

Ryan shrugged. He didn't really feel like talking about it. One look at the girl in front of him though, and he immediately felt the urge to spill his beans to her and flood her with information about his depressing excuse of a life.

"It was my brother," he admitted. "Erik. He always does things like this, to bother me… I guess he likes to see me upset… He hates me…"

"I'm sure that's not true…" Rika muttered, though she looked like she doubted her own words. She was probably just saying that to comfort Ryan. She couldn't know how bad things were between the two siblings.

He appreciated it though. No one had bothered to try and comfort him before, so that was new. He liked this Rika girl already. She was kind, and calm. The complete opposite of his brother, that's for sure.

"So… If you weren't here when I was locked in… _how_ did you get in?" he asked.

Rika smiled. "Secret ~" she replied, teasingly.

Ryan pouted again. No fair. _Also,_ suspicious. The door he had been pounding in was the only way to get inside that room – how on earth did Rika get in _after_ the door was closed? Was there some kind of secret entrance?

Suddenly, the sound of the door being unlocked made Ryan jump. There was someone outside opening the door. Could it be Erik? Had the two hours gone by already?

"I guess time's up…" Ryan stood up, dusting his pants. When he looked at the spot Rika was – supposedly – standing on, he had to blink twice and rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing right.

She was gone. Rika was not there in front of him anymore.

"Rika…?" he called.

No answer. Before he could try and look for her, the door opened abruptly. Ryan, expecting to be, yet again, grabbed harshly and dragged out the pizzeria, winced out of instinct.

Instead, what he felt was a hand tapping his shoulder lightly, and he heard a voice that wasn't, thankfully, his brother's.

"Ryan? Uh, what on earth are you doing here?"

The little boy turned around, feeling relieved. He knew this person, but unlike with his brother, his presence made him feel calmer.

It was a tall man, sporting the security uniform correspondent to Freddy Fazbear's. He had hazelnut-colored hair and green eyes. Phil Grayson was his name, and he was the head of security there at the pizzeria.

"Hi Mr. Grayson," the boy greeted, not waiting to be invited out of the dark room to make his way out. The sooner he got out of there the better. "Sorry, I… I went in and couldn't open the door…"

Phil Grayson looked at Ryan with a frown. Ryan knew that the man could probably tell he was lying, but he doubted he would pester him with more questions. Not now, at least. He already knew how bad things were between the two siblings.

"Where's your brother?" the head of security wanted to know.

Ryan shrugged.

The man sighed and tapped the boy's shoulder with a small sad smile. "If you need anything, just, uh, call me, okay?" he offered. "You know, if your brother is bothering you or something… I'll, uh, I'll do what I can."

The boy smiled as Phil Grayson left, but the idea of what his brother would do if he knew that he was "conspiring" against him was not very appealing. What awful things that little evil mind of Erik Martins' would think of to make Ryan's life even more depressing… Ryan shivered just thinking about it.

"Better to be out of that room, uh?"

Ryan yelped at the sound of the voice, and took a couple of steps back. He looked over his shoulder with his eyes round with the fright, only to see Rika standing right behind him.

The girl giggled and tilted her head. "Jumpy, aren't you?"

"D-don't just pop up out of nowhere!" he scolded, looking around to see if anyone else had seen his reaction. "Where did you come from – how did you disappear from the room like that?"

"Secret~" Rika replied with the same teasing tone as before, which only got Ryan annoyed. "Did Mr. Grayson open the door for you? He's a really nice person, don't you think?"

"Yeah, he is," Ryan agreed. "I wish he was my dad…"

Rika blinked with a confused expression. "You don't… you don't like your dad?"

"Kind of hard to tell if I like him or not, since I rarely even see him," Ryan retorted, surprised at the resentment in his voice. He supposed it couldn't be helped – all of the bullying and neglect from his family had to have some kind of long-lasting effect on his personality…

"How about your mom?" Rika insisted.

"Same thing."

The girl looked at him with a sad expression, though she concealed it fairly quickly. "I'm sure things will get better for you, Ryan," she said cheerfully. "Tomorrow is another day."

"Yeah… And tomorrow I'll just go through all of this again…" Ryan mourned.

"If your brother brings you here again, just call me," Rika suggested promptly. "I'm always here."

Ryan made a small smile. Well what do you know; a positive side to his otherwise negative situation. "Really? Your parents bring you here often?"

Rika's smile faltered; it now seemed a bit bitter. "No… I just never leave."

The boy blinked, and frowned. What did that mean…? She couldn't actually stay at the pizzeria _all the time_ , could she? How awful… well, at least to him it would be awful. Imagine that – having to face those robots 24/7, he'd go crazy! No, no, she probably meant that she spent a lot of time there… Maybe her parents also had to work a lot and left her there? Or her parents actually worked at the pizzeria, and brought her along for work?

"Well, thanks anyway. It's nice to have someone to talk to," Ryan admitted. "The only friends I have are my toys…"

He regretted saying those words immediately as he spoke them. It seemed so pathetic when he said it out loud – well, it _was_ pathetic actually… His brother pointed it out… _many times_ …

To his surprise, Rika didn't laugh, or tease him about it. She just kept smiling her kind smile. "Well, you have one more friend now," she stated cheerfully, reaching to pat his head.

Ryan blushed lightly as he felt her hand in his hair, but when he looked in her face, he was surprised to see a look of horror in her features.

"Rika? Something wrong?"

The girl took her hand away, seeming a bit distraught for a few seconds. Only when she looked at the boy did she compose herself, going back to smiling as if that odd scene never took place.

"No, nothing… nothing's wrong…" she assured.

Ryan touched his hair nervously, wondering if she could have felt something that grossed her out, while he felt Rika's amber-ish stare carved on him.

"Ryan," she called. "Does your brother bother you at home, too?"

He looked at her with a frown. "Of course he does, why?"

"If you want, I can visit you," she said. "You know, go over to your house and talk with you. For as long as you want. When he bothers you, I'll be there with you. So you'll never be alone."

Ryan stared at her. Why would she do that for someone she literally just met? For him…?

"I… I mean… If you want…" he stammered, looking at his feet in embarrassment.

Rika smiled. "Do you have a Golden Freddy toy at home?"

"Yeah, I do…" Even though Golden Freddy was the one animatronic that haunted most of Ryan's nightmares, in his plush toy version he was very cuddly and cute. In fact, all of the animatronics looked cuter in stuffed toy version, reason why he didn't mind having those at home. "Why?"

"He's my favorite," Rika stated. "So I was just wondering…"

The two children's conversation was interrupted once Erik's battle cry was heard above the commotion of children being unwillingly taken away by their parents.

"Yo, loser! What are you doing out of time out?" he demanded to know as he stomped his way towards the already cowering Ryan. "You know you'll have to make up for it at home."

Ryan looked at the floor sadly. Of course. Why bother complaining at that point? It wouldn't do him any good…

He looked at Rika, to say goodbye, but the girl had disappeared yet again. How did she keep doing that…?

Well, at least he had the prospect of seeing her from time to time going for him… That is, of course, if she wasn't lying to him. At this point in life, it wouldn't surprise him. She looked so nice, though… He was really hoping she was being truthful… that she meant it when she said they were friends…

Wait… Did she even know where he lived…?


	2. Chapter 2 - A Friend in Need

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Five Nights at Freddy's" or its characters.**

* * *

"Erik! Erik, open the door, please!"

Why did he even bother to keep calling his brother anymore? He knew it wouldn't do him much good – his brother just found it very amusing to ignore his cries for help, as usual. So why did he keep calling…?

One last knock on the door and Ryan finally gave up. Who was he kidding? He was stupid kid. Such a stupid kid. Did he hope, perhaps, that his brother would feel something akin to sympathy towards him and finally open the door, apologize to him and promise not to bother him anymore? Yeah right, as if that would ever happen…

Ryan sighed and looked at the corner of his room, where his friends sat, looking at him.

Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy – those were his friends. They didn't talk back at him when he said something, but at least they listened. At least they didn't mock him for his fears or insecurities. They never judged him.

Ryan then looked at his bed. The only plush sitting there was that of Golden Freddy. He wasn't even sure why he separated him from the others when he got home. He just thought – "Rika said this one was her favorite…" and then he picked it up, placing it on the bed.

Did that girl speak the truth when she assured him that she would visit him? He wasn't sure, especially since he didn't even know if she knew where he lived. Sure, his house wasn't hard to spot, and if she asked around, anyone would be able to point her towards the house of "that kid who hates Freddy Fazbear's".

"… Do you really think she'll come here?" he asked aloud, looking at his friends.

Naturally, they didn't reply. Just looked back at him with their round, cute eyes.

The boy looked at the Golden Freddy plush, and patted his head. "What do you reckon, Freddy? Was she being honest to me, or just trying to comfort me so I wouldn't feel like a loser?"

The toy stared at him. Then his mouth formed a grin. "My daddy taught me to never say things I don't mean, so…"

Ryan blinked. His eyes got progressively rounder, until…

"GYAAAH!"

He fell back on the floor, dragging himself across the floor, as far as possible from the bed. He pointed a trembling finger at the Golden Freddy plush toy, and stuttered: "I-it… it… it… t-talked!"

The remaining plush toys made no comment.

A soft giggle was heard coming from the golden plush toy. "Sorry, Ryan. I didn't mean to scare you," the toy said. "Can't you recognize me? It's me!"

Ryan lowered his finger and gulped. Alright… So his plush toy was talking. Yes, that much he couldn't deny. But it was talking with a _female_ voice. And it asked him if he couldn't recognize her, so it was a female he knew. Other than his sister, there was only one girl he had talked to in all his life for more than one minute – as sad as that sounded.

"R-Rika?" he gasped.

"And point for Ryan!" the plush toy giggled again. "Told you I'd come to visit."

Slowly, a golden mist started to ooze out of the plush toy's mouth, until it formed the shape of the same black-haired girl he had met at the pizzeria.

She smiled and waved. "Hello. I noticed there is a girl's room on the right wing. Is that your sister's?"

Ryan noticed his mouth was agape at this point so he promptly closed it before opening it to talk again. "How did you get here?" he inquired, feeling extremely confused and nervous. "AND don't say 'secret'!" he added quickly.

The girl took the golden plush toy in her hands and cleared her throat. "Well… If I am to come visit you then it's best just to be honest... I'm a ghost."

Awkward silence ensued. For a few seconds.

Ryan finally nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense…"

It was Rika's turn to look confused. "That was… fast," she commented. "I thought people would freak out at the mere mention of the word 'ghost'…"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Ryan reasoned. "You disappear and appear out of nowhere, you can get inside rooms that are locked… and you can possess objects…"

"Okay, but…" Rika looked at him worriedly. "Are… aren't you scared?"

Ryan stood up, dusting his pants. "Of you? No," he replied. "You're like Casper. A friendly ghost, right?"

Rika smiled. "I'm so relieved! I was worried that you'd be scared and wouldn't want to talk to me again…"

"Beggars can't be choosers. You're the only one that's willing to talk to me," Ryan declared, sitting on the edge of his bed, next to Rika. "Plus you're not scary. You're c…" He managed to cut himself off before he could pronounce the word "cute". The thought of saying it thought was enough to make him flush.

"Yeah?" Rika tilted her head. "I'm what?"

"Kind," Ryan completed quickly. "It's what I was gonna say. _Kind_."

Rika seemed pleased, so she didn't ask him anything else. Thank God for that…

Ryan scratched his cheek, trying to fight the blushing off his face. It was weird, in a way, to just sit there and talk with a girl. It was one thing with his sister, but this… It felt nice. The fact that Rika was a ghost didn't really matter to him. She wasn't a scary or mean ghost, so it was fine. He just didn't like things that _looked_ scary – like monsters… or the robots from Freddy Fazbear's…

The girl lifted the plush toy she was holding up so they were eye-to-eye. "You know, golden is my favorite color," she commented. "And bears are cuddly. I suppose that's why Golden Freddy is my favorite." She then looked at Ryan. "But you, back at that room at Freddy's, you seemed really scared of him. Why?"

Ryan gulped. Now there was something he didn't want to remember…

"I saw him doing something. Something bad," he explained slowly, as if he was afraid that the tall bear was hiding somewhere listening in to their conversation. "He was taking a kid backstage and… someone followed him… s-some lady… there were screams…"

Rika didn't go pale, but her expression was a mix of anger and horror. "When?" she wanted to know.

"T-two days ago… The kid got away, but…" He whimpered. "I didn't see the lady that f-followed him come b-back… S-so I just…"

The girl placed a hand on his shoulder, but didn't say anything.

"I just ran!" Ryan suddenly snapped. "I really am a coward, like E-Erik says… I j-just…"

"Did what any kid would do," Rika concluded. "You were scared, you ran. Don't blame yourself for things that were out of your control. What _could_ you do, anyway? Fight him yourself?"

Ryan sniffed, and then looked at Rika. "… You sound like a grown-up sometimes…"

Rika laughed. "I prefer to think I'm 'mature'," she said. "Now, what you need to do is go tell Mr. Grayson or the police…"

"NO!" The boy got up, his whole body shivering. "No, I c-can't do that! What if he finds out I told someone? N-no, no, I c-can't…" He kept on whimpering, going around in circles as he tried not to start wailing again.

"Okay, okay," Rika muttered, trying to calm him down. "If you don't feel ready, then… But you know that it's the right thing to do, don't you?"

Of course he knew that – but it wasn't easy. Why was the right thing to do always the scariest option? He was terrified. What could happen to him if Golden Freddy found out he saw him that day? He wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place.

Ryan had just ran away from home in a final attempt at escaping his brother's grasp, and saw a child walking into the pizzeria, which was – or was supposed to be – closed at that hour. He found it odd, and so, against his better instinct, decided to follow the child. Little did he know that what he'd see there would haunt him forever…

But he couldn't tell anyone. He doubted anyone would believe him anyway. People knew he talked to his toys often, and considering he was pretty famous for his fear of Freddy Fazbear's, people would just assume he was imagining things. Plus there was the whole issue of what the animatronic would do to Ryan were he to discover the child knew of his "extra-curricular activities"…

"What do you… um…" Ryan hesitated. "W-what do you th-think happened to that… lady…?"

Rika didn't answer right away, but she didn't need to. Ryan already suspected the answer.

"You already know, don't you?" she said, correctly assuming his expression and thoughts. "If the lady didn't come back… How did she look like?"

"Um… black hair… really slick…" Ryan struggled to remember. He had done everything in his power to try and _forget it_ the hours after he witnessed the scene, but it seemed like his brain had carved every single detail in his memory just to contradict his efforts. "She was pretty tall and slim… She seemed sick, like… pale skin and rings around her eyes…"

Rika stayed silent for a while, seeming deeply concentrated, but then shook her head. "No… No, I don't think I know anyone who looks like that…"

The sound of a door opening interrupted Rika, who seemed like she was about to say something else.

"It's the front door," Ryan informed, sighing. "Mom and dad are back." He wasn't the least happy about that. Whether or not they were at home, it didn't matter. The amount of attention he got from them was exactly the same – which is to say, none at all.

The girl picked up on his lack of enthusiasm at his parents' return, naturally. "I'll open the door for you, Ryan. Go greet them."

Magically – or so it seemed – the door opened. Ryan looked at it in surprise, but then his expression went back to frowning. "Erik will be mad…"

"He won't bother you today," Rika assured. "Go say 'hi' to your parents. They'll appreciate it."

Ryan seriously doubted she would be right on this one. He shrugged and stood up though – it couldn't hurt to give it a shot. Before he left the room, he turned to look at Rika.

"… Will you be here when I come back?"

She smiled. "Sure. I'll keep your friends some company." She moved the Golden Freddy plush' arm to wave him goodbye. "See you later, Ryan," she said, trying to mimic Golden Freddy's gruff voice.

The boy chuckled. Finally. He had a _real_ friend. A friend that actually talked to him back, and didn't just listen while staring at him blankly.

A real friend…

* * *

Well, that had gone _splendidly_.

Saying "hi" to his mom and dad was the same as arguing with the closet – no reaction, no response, no acknowledgment whatsoever. At least he gave it a shot.

His parents looked awfully tired, as usual, and only talked with each other to exchange small pleasantries, _as usual_. They didn't even look like a married couple. If he didn't know any better, he'd say they were just acquaintances – even calling them friends would be a stretch.

"Can you pass me the salt, dear?" his father requested.

"Of course, dear," his mother would reply.

It all sounded so rehearsed… so cold… It sounded nothing like a family should. Ryan couldn't help but compare his family to other families that he had seen over the years at Freddy Fazbear's, and always come to the conclusion that there was something seriously wrong.

Other moms and dads held hands, talked with each other normally, took photos of their whole family smiling and holding each other, and almost cried with pride when they saw their little babies doing something nice.

Not the Martins family.

In the Martins family, there was no such thing as warmth. Ryan had a vague remembrance of being held tightly by his mother when he was a toddler, but that time was long gone. After the birth of his sister, the relationship between his parents got unbelievably cold. If that wasn't bad, it spread over to the children. Ryan didn't like to think it was his sister's fault – what could she have done? She was pretty much the only presence in that house that didn't mind his company all that much – and it couldn't be Erik's, since he'd been around for a while. So the only conclusion he could arrive to, was that it was his own fault. What he did to bring this upon his family, he didn't know. Maybe because he was so reclusive… Maybe because he talked to his toys… Maybe because he had no friends…

He was a disappointment, in all senses of the word… Even if he did have a friend in Rika now, she was a ghost, so he couldn't exactly walk up to his parents and introduce her to them. Heh, he would like to see how Erik would react though…

"How was school today, Erik?" his mother asked.

Erik shrugged, proceeding on devouring his meal. Why did she keep asking him that? Just to look like she cared? It was always the same thing – she asks him how it is, he doesn't reply, she doesn't insist, the conversation ends.

Sure enough, seeing how her eldest child didn't answer her question, she simply took it as an "it's going _great_ " and didn't press the issue. School was _not_ going great for Erik, though. He barely went to any classes at all, and the ones he did attend, he had awful grades. This year, he was going to flunk for sure.

"Did you take Ryan to the pizzeria when you got home?" his father wanted to know, his voice sounding uncaring.

To this, Erik grinned. "Sure did – he loves going there. Don't you, Ryan?" He winked at his brother mockingly.

That jerk.

Ryan didn't reply. He decided to take a page off his brother's book and just shrug, hoping that this would keep his parents from asking anymore questions about it. It worked.

"Mommy, mommy, I want more toys!" squeaked a tiny voice from Ryan's right suddenly.

Erik rolled his eyes and went back to eating with an annoyed "huff", as if the mere sound of his sister's voice was offensive.

Ryan's father stiffened and he narrowed his eyes at his food. His mother, however, smiled sweetly.

"We'll go buy them after diner, alright? Which Freddy Fazbear's Toy would you like?" she asked, knowing the little girl loved the robots, much unlike her older sibling.

"I want them all!" she said immediately, while Erik mouthed her words at exactly the same time, though not making a sound.

Ryan looked at his sister for a while. She didn't realize how things were in her family. She didn't notice. Or, she pretended not to.

Laura Martins was just two years younger than him. She stood out in the family, lacking the dark brown hair and the dark eyes – instead, she had light brown hair and blue eyes. Ryan could only assume she had taken after mom, while the two brothers looked more like their dad. She was a cheerful girl, who for some reason seemed to be immune to the overwhelming feeling of oppression and sadness that invaded their home.

Ryan knew that Erik didn't like her. Why, he wasn't sure. Then again, he wasn't sure why Erik didn't like him either, so maybe Erik just didn't like having siblings, period.

His father was another issue. For anyone observant enough, it was clear that while the man was "a bit" distant from his two sons, he seemed to make it his goal in life to ignore his daughter's existence entirely. Sure, he only vaguely acknowledged Ryan with a nod whenever he greeted, and somehow asked him he was doing, but he didn't even bother to do that with Laura. Yet, she never stopped smiling…

Suddenly, his father cleared his throat. "Ryan, your birthday is in six days, is it not?"

Ryan looked up at him and nodded slowly. Wow, he was surprised his dad even knew when his birthday was. His mother was the one that probably reminded him of it.

"Your mother and I won't be around to celebrate it with you, sorry," he warned, though there was no need to. Being able to remember Ryan's birthday was enough of a surprising event – being there with him to celebrate it would have been a miracle. "But your brother and sister will go with you."

' _Well, that certainly makes things better…'_ Ryan thought bitterly.

Oblivious to his son's thoughts, the man went on. "We have arranged for your party to be at Freddy Fazbear's, and…"

"WHAT?!"

Ryan's fork collapsed on the floor, and the child made no motion to pick it up. Erik flashed him a smirk, obviously pleased to see his brother shocked by the news.

"Wh – why can't I just celebrate at home?" Ryan suggested meekly, feeling his parents' judging stares. "You know, w-with a cake… That would be enough for me…"

"Party – party!" his sister demanded, also ignoring the reasons behind her brother's outburst. "I want a party!"

"The party is not for you!" Ryan hissed before he could control himself.

"Ryan," his mother called, in a scolding tone. "Don't speak to Laura like that. Why are you upset? You like being at Freddy's, don't you?"

Before Ryan could speak, his brother did. "Oh don't mind him; he's just a homebody, mom." Erik shoved a large piece of his food in his mouth. "He'd prefer spending the whole day locked at home. Don't worry though – I'll make sure he leaves the house. We'll have lots of _fun_."

Ryan's hands trembled as he closed his fists. Damn it, he was so angry. Angry at himself, angry at the world, _angry at God_. Why couldn't he just tell his parents that he didn't want to be at the pizzeria? Why couldn't he just explain…?

No… It was _their_ job to watch over him! _They_ should be able to tell he wasn't happy about this! Why was his family so… could he even call it a family…?

* * *

"… I'm sorry…"

The little ghost girl looked sadly at the crying boy in front of her, from whom she had just heard the awful news.

Not only did he have to go to the pizzeria on a daily basis because of his brother, now he'd have to spend his own birthday there. That had brought upon Ryan's biggest meltdown ever.

Ryan shook his head, still buried in his arms as he hugged his knees. "It's not your fault," he grumbled. "It's _their_ fault. It's my fault for not speaking up. I'm a waste of space."

Rika kneeled on the floor in front of him with an angry frown. "Don't you ever say that again!" she scolded, smacking his head.

"Ow!" Ryan whined, sniffing. "Why did you hit me?"

"Because you're stupid," Rika accused, making Ryan pout as he rubbed his head. "'I'm a waste of space', he says. If that's the case, just lie down in the middle of the road and wait for a car to run you over."

The boy stared at her with his eyes wide. "W… what…?"

"You heard. I think it's very insensitive of you to just say things like that in front of someone who died and won't get to accomplish any of their dreams," she spat. "You're still alive, so make something of it while you can, instead of moping around in the corner."

Ryan sniffed, still staring at the girl in front of him in shock.

He wasn't expecting Rika to react like that. She was so calm and kind, but she looked really scary when she was angry… and she wasn't wrong on what she was saying… He was still alive, but was complaining about it, while she was dead, and he hadn't heard her complain _once_. She had all the rights to, having died when she was so young… He was such an idiot.

"Sorry…" he muttered in a whisper. "I… Y-You're right… I won't say it again…"

Rika's kind smile returned. "That's better." Her hand reached over to pat his head softly. "I'm sorry if I sounded mean, but I don't want you to say those things about yourself… You are not a waste of space, Ryan. No one is. Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves. Tomorrow is another day – never forget that."

The boy nodded, wiping away his tears. That "tomorrow is another day" sentence Rika kept saying sure sounded reassuring when it came from her. It felt true. But it was very hard to stay positive when he had the idea of his birthday party looming over his head. He'd much rather have it at a graveyard…

As Rika kept stroking his head, Ryan remembered something. "Um… Rika… Back at the pizzeria, when you patted my head... You looked scared for a second… Why was that?"

His friend took her hand off his head and looked at the plush toys. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Ryan was about to insist when Rika interrupted him. "Hey, wanna play pretend with your friends?" she suggested cheerfully. "That will get your mind off your birthday. I'll be Chica!"

It was no use. She was not going to tell him why she made that expression. But it was alright. He had a friend. A good friend, who gave him good advice and snapped him out of his "woobie" mode whenever it was necessary. He was pretty sure she'd have to do plenty of that in the future… More precisely, six days in the future…

"Okay, I'll be Bonnie then! Wait…" Ryan looked over his shoulder. "What if Erik walks in and sees Chica just floating in the air? He can't see you, can he?"

Rika giggled. "Oh he won't see it," she said slyly. "I'm keeping his room door locked, so he won't be going anywhere. That's for locking my friend up in the spare parts room at the pizzeria."

Ryan smiled brightly, unable to hold his laughter at the idea of his brother being the one locked somewhere unwillingly. Having Rika with him had nothing but positive sides. He had never felt this happy before.

So, blinded by happiness, he couldn't tell the worry that lurked beneath Rika's cheerfulness.

Even though she did all in her power to keep her new friend happy, and assure him he would be safe, she knew the worst was yet to come. The next few days were going to be the most painful in Ryan's life, and not the happiest, as he thought. Sure, she would be there for him, but it didn't matter. When she patted his head, she saw what would happen the day of his birthday.

The cruel jaws of fate locked in on Ryan Martins the day his older brother convinced their parents to have his 8th birthday party at Freddy Fazbear's…


	3. Chapter 3 - Five Days Until the Party

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Five Nights at Freddy's" or its characters.**

* * *

Ryan sulked underneath a tree for what felt like hours. Stupid parents, with their stupid deciding what he should do without asking him about what _he_ wants – stupid brother and his constant teasing…

He had barely even slept that night, just thinking how _wonderful_ his birthday party would be. A birthday party at Freddy's – any other kid would be delighted to receive that news. Not Ryan Martins. That for him was about the worst idea ever. At least it was in five days. _Five days_. More than enough time for him to let it sink in. Maybe in those five days he'd be able to convince his parents to have the party somewhere else…

'… _No way…'_ he thought sadly. _'No way that'll happen…'_

The child sniffed and held his golden teddy bear closely. It was his habit to bring one of his plush toys with him to school for comfort – one day it was Freddy, the other it was Bonnie… - but, this time, he had brought two. He needed the extra comfort. So, he took both Golden Freddy and Foxy. An odd duo, but it didn't matter. From that day onwards, he decided he would always take Golden Freddy with him, along with another friend if he felt like it. He had to have his dearest friend by his side.

He wasn't completely sure if Rika, the "friendly ghost girl" he had made friends with, was still taking control of the golden bear plush, but he wanted to have it next to him regardless. Just in case she wanted to keep him company, she'd have her favorite character there. He was actually hoping that she _would_ show up. At least someone would be there to talk to him.

All the other kids at the school yard didn't bother with looking his way. They already knew that if he wasn't talking with his "friends" – the toys, that is – then he would be crying over something his brother did. Ryan hadn't seen his brother and his gang yet, fortunately, but the simple idea of having his birthday party at Freddy's was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

' _Ugh why am I such a crybaby…?'_ He quickly rubbed his eyes to get rid of any tears that could be attempting to escape his eyelids. He couldn't let Rika see him like that…

"Ryan."

The boy was startled by the sudden call. He looked up to see a brunet looking at him with an apprehensive expression. He knew this kid.

"M-Marshall…" he muttered. "W… what is it…?"

"That's my line," the kid called Marshall retorted. "You're sitting over here crying again. What did your brother do this time?"

Marshall Grayson was the eldest son of the head of security at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Phil Grayson. He was a cool kid who wasn't afraid of anything. He was also a much better older brother than Erik Martins was, that's for sure. Ryan really wished he was a Grayson rather than a Martins…

He shrugged. "Nothing… It's just… my birthday is coming up…"

"And…? Isn't that a good thing?"

Ryan sniffed. "The party is gonna be at Freddy's."

Marshall sighed through his nose and took a sit next to the sniffing kid. "Ah, I see the problem now. Why don't you ask your parents to have it somewhere else? They know you hate it there, right?"

"They don't care," Ryan stated bitterly, squeezing his golden plush toy.

The older boy patted Ryan's shoulder with a sympathetic expression. "Parents can be a bit dumb sometimes," he admitted. "Not my dad though. He's awesome."

Ryan chuckled. "He is… Hey isn't your class having a gathering or something at Freddy's too?"

Marshall suddenly looked extremely bored. "God don't remind me… I already go there all the time because of my dad, I have enough of that place…" he groaned. "And I already have enough of my classmates. I see them every day, for crying out loud…"

"When is it gonna be?"

The older Grayson child didn't seem the least interested. "Meh, the fourteenth or the fifteenth, I dunno…" he sighed. "It's a Saturday, God forbid I see my teacher on the weekend… I hope my dad lets me sit this one out…"

Ryan perked up.

"Oh, if it's a Saturday, then it's on my birthday!" he realized, happily. At least he'd have someone there who _wouldn't_ be constantly teasing him. That if Marshall went to the gathering, which he didn't seem to be looking forward to…

In fact, Marshall yawned loudly as an answer to his short-lived excitement.

Sure, Marshall was nice enough to not make fun of him on a daily basis and he even bothered himself to actually defend him when some of the older kids made fun of him, but the brunet had no obligation to protect "Ryan the cowardly crybaby". He had his own little brother – Daniel, right? – to take care of anyway.

Plus, wouldn't Rika be there? Yes, she would, for sure. No way would she ditch him, especially not _that day_. She would be there. She would be there…

* * *

"What'cha holding there, Ryan?"

The child flinched when he heard that _horrible_ teasing voice coming from behind him. Oh no. Damn, he was waiting for him. He didn't wait for him at school, as usual, which was weird – Ryan was thankful for that for a few minutes, but he quickly realized there had to be an ulterior motive for this, such as, per instance, _waiting for him at home to scare the crap out of him or further torment the boy into tears_. And sure enough…

He did his best to try and conceal the golden plush toy, but was unable to hide Foxy. He found the stuffed fox being harshly snatched away by none other than the brute Erik Martins.

"Ah of course. Your precious little 'friend'," the teenager snarled, holding the fox by its left paw. "Seriously, Ryan, how much of a loser can you be? Hanging around with a stuffed toy – embarrassing!"

"Give it back!" Ryan cried, jumping to try and retrieve his friend. He was wasting his efforts, of course – Erik was much taller than him. Like twice his size. "Please, give it back!"

Erik laughed mockingly and waved the plush toy above his head, even further away from Ryan's already limited reach. "What do I get out of it, Captain Wuss? You know what?" He looked at the plush toy with a mischievous expression. "I think I'm gonna rip off his limbs."

Ryan's face lost all color. "N… n-no… E-Erik, _no_! D-d-don't d-do that!"

"Or _what_ , loser?" Erik spat. "Maybe next time you'll think twice before trying to go against your big brother, uh?"

"W-what are you t-t-talking a-about…?" Ryan wailed, his voice quivering. He was still waving his hand frenetically in the air, trying desperately to reach his friend. "Erik, p-p-please…"

"Don't play smart with me, brat," Erik snapped, grabbing Ryan's hair and pulling his head back. He no longer mischievous, but downright _vicious_. He completely ignored his brother's pain. "You locked me in my room yesterday, you piece of shit. Try that stunt again, and I'll tear all your precious 'friends' up, you hear?!"

Within seconds, the pirate fox's head was separated from its body with a "rip" sound, and Ryan was harshly thrown into his room. He barely had enough time to wince in pain before seeing the door close abruptly. One look to his right and he could see his friend, lying by his side.

Ryan whimpered as he reached out to touch it gently. He picked the destroyed toy up – head and torso now separated – and looked at it, devastated. He got one of his friends hurt like that… Because he was a wuss…

"… S… s-sorry, F-Foxy…" he sobbed. "I… I'll p-put you… um, I'll p-put you t-there with the others… o-okay?"

He did just that, though he kept Foxy's head in his hands. He then put Golden Freddy on the bed, and allowed himself to collapse on the floor again, right in front of the door. Allowed the tears to fall. It wasn't the first time, anyway.

"Ryan?"

The boy looked back to see a black-haired girl looking at him quizzically. Her look changed from confusion to worry instantly.

"What did he do this time…?" she wanted to know. The girl kneeled down next to the crying boy, patting his back gently. "He locked you in your room, again, didn't he?"

Ryan nodded, sniffing. "H-he's… he's mad 'cause… y-yesterday y-you…" The boy did his best to try and conceal his tears from the girl comforting him, but it was pointless really. She could _hear_ him cry. In fact, he was sure anyone in the house could. And in the house next door…

Rika's hand twitched. "O-oh… Because I locked him in his room? I'm sorry, Ryan… I was just trying to help…"

"I-I… d-don't blame… y-you…" the boy muttered. "H-he'd just… be m-mean to me anyway… H-he k-knows I…" A repressed wail. "… he knows I get s-scared…!"

His friend pulled him into a hug, but he just ended up crashing into her lap, curling into a fetal position as he cried. He knew he looked pathetic beyond belief – even more than usual, if it was possible – but, at that moment, it didn't matter. He just wanted to get some comfort. He just wanted her to be there, comfort him and assure him that everything would be alright, even if it was a lie.

"Shh," she ushered, caressing his hair softly as he cried. "Don't be scared. I am here with you. _Tomorrow is another day_ …"

* * *

Ryan's eyes snapped open. He couldn't sleep. He could still feel stings in his eyes from crying as much as he did. God, he was pathetic. But Rika never called him "pathetic". She never teased him, or told him to stop crying at once.

He sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes. The room was dark, and he could barely make out his friends, sitting in the corner. Foxy was still headless. He'd have to get that fixed… Golden Freddy was still next to him, toy eyes staring into emptiness.

"… Rika…?" he called in a whisper, though he wasn't expecting a reply. She was, for sure, long gone by now. She had already spent, what, hours calming him down before he left to have dinner?

The stuffed bear didn't move for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, its head turned abruptly on his direction. "Yes?"

Ryan yelped, jumping on his bed. He covered his mouth with his hands, eyes widening. A couple of seconds in silence showed him that no one had heard him. Reassured by this, he redirected his stare towards the golden plush.

"Jeez, you scared me!" he whispered angrily.

"… You're the one that called…" the little girl reasoned, slowly making herself visible. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

He shrugged. "I don't feel like it…"

"You should sleep. You have school tomorrow," the girl advised. "Plus, there's nothing for you to do."

"I could watch TV," the boy declared, looking around for the remote.

Rika frowned. "The things that play on TV at this hour are for adults. That's what my daddy said, anyway. There are no cartoons to watch."

Ryan stopped looking for the remote and sighed. "We could play with my friends," he suggested.

He was sure she was about to say something against it, but she never got to say anything, considering he interrupted her before she could. He had heard something. Something _outside_.

"Listen," he whispered, waving his hand at her and then pointing at the door of his room.

Rika looked in the direction he pointed at. "What is it? What did you hear?"

Ryan got off the bed and slowly made his way towards the door that Erik usually threw him through. He could have sworn he heard breathing…

The ghostly girl suddenly appeared next to him – surely by teleporting, or whatever – and leaned towards the door. "Ryan…?"

"I think I heard breathing…" he replied, whispering. He was pretty sure there was someone at the door. Could it be Erik? Was he finding himself unable to sleep too and thus decided to try and harass Ryan some more?

Rika leaned more towards the door to try and listen, but ended up frowning. "I don't hear anything…"

Ryan strained his earring… There it was! That low, slow breathing! How could Rika not hear it? Was she lying so he wouldn't be scared? He didn't need that!

"Look, there's something here, I can hear it…!" The child opened the door, to find a dark hallway. He gulped. He didn't like walking around the house at night. Maybe he should ignore it, on second thought… Nothing was worth walking around a creepy dark corridor during the night…

He carefully closed the door, looking at Rika. The girl looked very confused.

"Ryan, are you okay?" she wondered. "I didn't hear anything… Maybe you're just overhearing things… It can happen at night…"

The boy shook his head. "No, I definitely… Hold on…"

He leaned on the door again, and heard the distinct sound of footsteps moving away from his door. This made his heart beat faster and his eyes widen. _There was someone at his door_. He gulped again.

"Rika…" he called in a whisper. "There's something out there…"

Rika didn't answer. She still looked confused, now with a hint of worry. "… You want me to go get the flashlight?"

The boy nodded, still trying to listen to the sounds outside. Within seconds, the girl disappeared and reappeared next to him, now holding a flashlight the boy kept in his room. Ryan took it, and, after a few seconds of hesitation, opened the door. He couldn't hear breathing anymore.

He peeked outside, and naturally saw nothing.

' _C'mon, be brave… I'm sure there's nothing outside… There's nothing there… There's nothing there… You're just imagining things…'_

He illuminated the corridor with the flashlight. Immediately, he spotted something at the end of the hall. Before he could see it properly, it hid behind the corner. But Ryan had seen enough. He saw enough to recognize the presence hiding in the shadows of the corridor.

The flashlight was dropped to the floor, and the door was quickly closed. Once again, the color vanished from Ryan's face. His eyes threatened to abandon his face as well, and suddenly he found himself sweating. _Oh God oh God oh God oh God –_

"Ryan, what's wrong?" Rika demanded to know, correctly interpreting the look in his face. "What did you see?"

Ryan looked back at her, horrified. He couldn't believe what he had seen. Good God – "Bonnie," he muttered weakly. "I saw Bonnie."

"That's ridiculous, Bonnie can't be here," Rika reasoned. "The old Bonnie is locked at the pizzeria, and so is the new one…"

"I know what I saw!" he hissed, trying not to snap at his friend. He saw it alright – Bonnie, with his eerie red eyes gleaming in the dark, torn apart all over, his endoskeleton showing…

"Ryan," Rika called for the third time, now sounding serious. "Are you sure…?"

"I'm sure, Rika," Ryan declared, gulping again. "They're here. In _my_ house. Oh God – they know that I saw what Golden Freddy did… They've come after me…!"

The sudden sound of snickering made the boy jump. He picked up the flashlight from the ground and pointed the light at the bed. _Was there something in his room?_

The light illuminated the bed, showing not just one, but three Freddy plush toys sitting on his bed. They weren't sitting quietly, though. They were quivering horribly, their heads moving so fast it was almost sickening. They all snickered evilly as all six of their eyes glared at Ryan. Before Ryan could even scream, they all disappeared underneath the bed.

"GAH! D-did you see t-that?!" he hissed at Rika. He pointed frenetically at the bed, trying – in vain, obviously – to grab at Rika's sleeve. "T-there were – y-you saw that, right?!"

The girl looked, once again, confused. "See what?"

Ryan was now getting increasingly more desperate. Why wasn't Rika seeing any of that? Was she _still_ lying so he wouldn't worry? Well, it wasn't working, because he was worried anyway! And he was scared! What were those things? What was going on?

He took a brief look at the clock in his bedside table, and saw the time.

It was one AM.

* * *

 **[A/N - Short chapter, meh. It will change next chapter. Maybe.]**


	4. Chapter 4 - Four Days Until the Party

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Five Nights at Freddy's" or its characters.**

* * *

The light emanating from the flashlight quivered almost as much as the hand that held said object. Ryan blinked quickly, afraid of what he could end up seeing.

Last time he had checked, his bed was being taken over by something that was _not_ supposed to be there – three Freddy plushies, spazzing out as if they were having a seizure. They were gone now, but considering he saw them slip underneath the bed, he was not safe yet. What were they doing in his bedroom? What did they _want_?!

"R-Rika," he called in a terrified whisper. "P-please don't lie to me – you s-saw that, right? Those F-Freddy toys?"

The girl standing next to him still had a worried expression when she looked back at him. "I… M-maybe I just wasn't paying attention but…"

Ryan hissed. "'Not paying attention' – they were right _there_!" He pointed nervously as this bed, that was, for the moment, unoccupied. "Rika, I'm not seeing things!"

"Okay, okay," the girl tried to usher him. "They're gone now, right? So it's alright…"

The boy gulped. _Was_ he safe? He wasn't so sure… They could still be under his bed for all he knew, waiting for a chance to attack him. He walked up to his bed as cautiously as he could, bending over to look underneath it.

Nothing.

He sighed of relief, before turning back to the door. He considered asking Rika to check if she heard breathing – just in case Bonnie was there again – but then he remembered: she hadn't listened to it before, what if she wouldn't hear it again? Maybe she really couldn't hear the breathing, or see the creepy Freddy plushies… for some reason… Could it be because she was a ghost?

"Ryan?" his friend called worriedly.

He shook his head. "They're not there… I have to check if Bonnie is gone."

The ghost watched him make his way towards the door and press his ear against it, listening carefully. After a while, Ryan shook his head to show her there was nothing there.

"Maybe I _was_ seeing things…" Ryan muttered.

Just in case, he went up to the other door. Who knows – the bunny could be trying to catch him off guard by going over the other corridor. He listened. His eyes widened.

"There!" he gasped. The breathing again! "Rika, come here! This time you'll see it!"

Rika complied, walking up to him and peeking into the dark corridor once the boy opened the door. He lighted up the hall, revealing something yellow hurrying to hide away from the light. That wasn't Bonnie. It was Chica.

"She's here too?!" Ryan wailed. "Oh no… I knew it – t-they're all here to g-get me…!"

His friend squinted. She was obviously making an effort to try and see the same horrible sight the boy was seeing, but, once again, she didn't see anything. She just didn't see what he saw. But why…?

"Ryan, let's talk this through, okay?" she started, looking at him with a serious expression. "How would the robots be here? The pizzeria is closed at this hour and the only person there is the night guard. I don't think he would let the robots walk out into town. It _is_ his job to watch over them, right?"

Ryan frowned. He knew she was right, of course, but he was also sure of what he was seeing. He was _not_ imagining things!

"B-but," he insisted. "I saw them, Rika! B-Bonnie, and now Chica… and those c-creepy Freddy toys…"

Rika looked at the bed, as if half-expecting to see the ominous toys appear out of nowhere to scare Ryan again. Logically, that didn't happen. "Maybe you should go to sleep," she suggested. "It could be your mind playing tricks on you…"

"I'm not going to sleep!" he snapped, eyeing the bed as if it was a monster waiting to devour him. "I-I'm gonna keep watch… Y-you know, in case they…" He gulped. "… try and get in… You don't have to s-stay here if you don't w-want to…" He looked at her from the corner of his eye, praying to God that she wouldn't leave him.

The girl sighed patiently. "Please, Ryan, why would I leave you now?" she retorted. "Especially considering…" She gestured vaguely in the direction of the – seemingly – empty hallway and the bed. "I'll help you keep watch."

Ryan didn't wait for her to change her mind and nodded eagerly, going back to listening to any possible sounds coming from his left door.

Rika stayed next to the right door, looking at the boy with a frown. She didn't see them. Neither Bonnie nor Chica, or whatever he meant with "three Freddy toys". They couldn't be ghosts – she would see them regardless of them trying to be invisible to the living. So… what was Ryan seeing?

' _What is it that you think you see…?'_

* * *

By the time the clock announced six AM, Ryan hadn't slept at all.

He stayed up all night, his eyes wide in fear and anticipation, and his hands shaking as he held his flashlight as if it was a sword. During those five hours, he rushed to both doors several times, listening intently for any suspicious sound. Usually, he'd come back to his post in front of the bed looking extremely relieved; there were other times, however, when he'd gasp in horror and open the door to light up the hall, only to whimper as he saw something that apparently only he could see. He often looked behind him to check the bed too, and there were at least three times where he jumped and yelped at the sight of the three Freddy plushies snickering at him. At least Bonnie and Chica didn't make any sounds other than breathing… How could they even breathe in the first place? They were _robots_ – as Rika had pointed out, robots don't _breathe_!

Rika still couldn't see them. Since she was unable to listen to their breathing or their footsteps, she really couldn't do much to warn Ryan on whether it was safe; all she did was stand by Ryan's side and reassure him that everything would be okay, and calm him down whenever he got scared. That was fine by him. That's all he needed, really. Someone that would just be there for him.

Now that he could see the sunlight starting to light up his room, Ryan felt much better. He knew that the pizzeria opened around this time, and so the robots would have no choice but to go back. Good riddance, he should say!

He sighed and fell on his knees, trying to stop his legs from shaking so hard. "T-they're gone… they're f-finally gone…"

Rika patted his shoulder gently with a smile. "You did great, Ryan. You were very brave," she praised. "But look at the time… You didn't get any sleep… You must be tired."

There was no arguing with that, since a yawn chose that time to force itself out of the boy's mouth. Plus, now that he wasn't worried about the robots catching him when he was least expecting, his eyes felt heavy.

' _Well, at least I'm alive…'_ he thought, shivering. Would the robots really _kill_ him if they had the chance? Probably… But they were gone now. They were gone. He was safe. And Rika was right there with him, as she promised she would. He really should look even more pathetic than usual, but she didn't seem annoyed or bothered. Oh if only she had come into his life sooner…

"… I should try and rest a bit before having to go to school…" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Can you wake me up if I'm still asleep by 7h30?"

Rika nodded with a small smile. "Sure. Do you prefer slapping or a bucket of water?"

The boy looked at the ghost with a shocked expression before realizing that she was most likely joking. In fact, she started giggling immediately once she spotted the look on his face. He sighed, his lips trembling into a smile.

"That wasn't funny…" he groaned.

"I beg to differ," she retorted, still giggling. "You should have seen the look on your face…"

She kept giggling for a while, which only made him smile more. This was weird – this feeling… Usually, when people made fun of him, it made his heart ache, so badly. It made him have this cold feeling in his stomach, and he couldn't help but keep beating himself up for being so weak and unable to stand up for himself. And it always made him cry… But now, even if Rika was teasing him, she wasn't doing it out of meanness. She was really just playfully teasing him, as a friend. _Friend_. Now there's a word he thought he'd never get to apply to human being… Even if it is a dead one…

* * *

"Give it back! Please!"

Ryan jumped as high as he could to try and retrieve his stolen treasure, but it was proving to be as pointless as all the other times he tried it. They were too tall, too strong – Ryan was never going to win as long as was going up against them.

And sure enough, they knew it. Laughing at the young boy's futile attempts, the four teenagers made a circle around him as the one holding the Golden Freddy plush raised the toy higher in the air, needlessly. As if Ryan had a chance at reaching it anyway!

"Hey, this is getting boring," a dark-skinned teen, name Dean Catigern, commented.

The one to his right, a boy with short spiky blonde hair called Neil Whitaker, nodded. "Yep, seeing this kid jump up and down is no fun anymore," he sighed.

"Should we give him his toy back?" wondered Oliver Cates, a curly-haired teen. It didn't look like it mattered to him either way.

Erik, the one holding the toy, gave his friends a vicious grin that made Ryan gasp in horror. That expression could only mean one thing… Golden Freddy was going to suffer the same fate as Foxy – Erik was going to rip its head off.

"NO!" the little boy shrieked, already guessing what his brother was planning on doing. "P-please, Erik, don't h-hurt her!"

His brother chuckled. "'Her'?" he repeated. "Golden Freddy is a 'he', dumbshit. Or is he your _girlfriend_?"

Ryan didn't answer the taunt, instead doubling his efforts to retrieve his golden friend. He knew that Golden Freddy was a male, sure, but it was currently being inhabited by his dearest friend, Rika. He didn't know if she was in there right now, but what if she was? Would it hurt her if they ripped the toy apart? He didn't know how ghosts worked. And even if she wasn't, he always thought of the plush toys as his only friends before Rika came along. He didn't want to see them destroyed.

Paying no mind to Ryan's pleading, Erik did to the golden plush the same he had done to the fox plush. Within seconds, the head and torso of the toy were separated with a rip sound, along with the sound of laughter that came from the circle of teens. All the little boy could do was catch the parts of his fallen friend as Erik threw them carelessly at the ground and sob.

He was such a weakling…

"There, now you have _two_ girlfriends," his brother teased. "I'll be waiting for you at home, crybaby. I have a surprise for you; I bet you'll love it!"

And with a harsh push, he made his younger brother fall hard on the floor. Ryan whimpered, watching Erik and his friends leave nonchalantly, telling jokes that no doubt had Ryan at the center of them.

' _I'm sorry, Golden Freddy…'_ he sobbed inwardly. _'I-I'm so sorry…'_

After long minutes of crying and cursing his pathetic existence, he felt a tap on the shoulder. At first, he thought it was Rika, ready to do the usual routine of comforting him until he no longer felt sorry for himself, but it wasn't – it was Marshall Grayson, holding his little brother's hand.

"I should have known it was you crying," the ten-year old sighed. "What did Erik do this time?"

Ryan whimpered, holding up the head and torso of his golden friend, now separated. Marshall's brother, Daniel, gasped.

"Waah he tore Golden Freddy apart!" he cried, pulling his brother hand. "Marshall, we have to fix him, or he'll die!"

Marshall made an amused grin. "Golden Freddy is a toy, Daniel," he explained, patiently. "He can't die. But we should get that fixed, yeah. I'm sure aunt Tricia can take care of it; it's best not to trust dad with sowing again…"

Daniel giggled lightly, as if remembering some funny event that involved his father and sewing needles.

Ryan, despite being grateful for the Grayson siblings' willingness to help him, couldn't help but feel a sharp hint of envy and resent. Why couldn't Erik be like Marshall, and treat his younger brother nicely, like he _should_? Why didn't Erik hold his hand, and comfort him when he was scared, like Marshall did to Daniel? It just felt so unfair… Daniel had no idea how lucky he was… Ryan bet Marshall never tried to scare Daniel to tears in his life… He'd probably beat up anyone who tried it, really.

"Come on, Ryan," Marshall called, gesturing for the crying boy to get up and follow the brunet siblings. "Let's head for my house. Aunt Tricia will fix that and then you can home."

Ryan wasn't looking too forward to go home, though. Erik mentioned some "surprise" that he'd "love" – which meant he'd probably hate it and / or fear it. Nothing new; Erik was always coming up with new and exciting ways to make his life miserable. Still, Ryan felt slightly more apprehensive than usual this time.

He had a bad feeling about this _surprise_ …

* * *

' _Where could he be…?'_

Ryan took extra-cautious steps down the hallway as he headed towards his room. Erik was in the house, he knew that much; but he didn't come out to greet him with his usual teasing tone, like he always did. The house was quiet. _Too quiet_.

' _It's a trap,'_ the boy whimpered in his thoughts. _'I know it's a trap. He's hiding somewhere… but I'm not gonna go look for him…'_

No way. If he wanted to hide out somewhere that was fine – Ryan was just going to lock himself in his room and make himself insignificant. It was sure better than ending up getting scared by his jerk of a brother and give him the pleasure of seeing him cry.

So, holding the newly sown Golden Freddy closely to his heart, he dashed to his room and closed the door behind him, sighing in relief once he found himself in the safety of those four walls. As long as he kept the doors locked, Erik couldn't get in to bother him. Ryan sat down on the floor and admired his golden toy.

Marshall's aunt, Miss Patricia Grayson – though she was called Aunt Tricia by both the Grayson siblings – had been able to fix his friend in just a few minutes. Thankfully the damage hadn't been as bad as he feared, though that didn't stop him from crying the whole time he waited for his friend to return. He was just so worried that there was nothing that could be done about it and that he'd stay headless… like Foxy… Though with the pirate fox it had been a completely different matter. He had no idea where the fox's head was, as horrible as that sounded. He looked everywhere, but it was as if it had disappeared! Where could it have gone…?

"Before you yelp and jump, it's me," said a soft voice from his left as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

The warning helped Ryan realize who the presence by his side was, and so he didn't get scared. He smiled, looking at the black-haired girl that was kneeling on the floor next to him.

"Hi, Rika," he greeted. "How are you?"

"That's my line," Rika retorted, pointing at the repaired golden bear. "What happened to him?"

Ryan's smile slithered off his face instantly. He scratched his cheek and shrugged. "Erik. He ripped his head off, but Marshall's aunt fixed it."

"Everyone in Mr. Grayson's family is so nice," Rika commented, taking the Golden Freddy plush toy and holding it in her arms. "Mr. Grayson's sons, his sister… even Miss Patricia's boyfriend is nice. I think his name is Adam…"

"Meanwhile, in the Martins family, everyone is a jerk," Ryan interrupted, bitterly.

Rika frowned. "… Don't say that, Ryan…"

"Okay, so my sister is just _dumb_ ," the boy stated, not dropping the bitter tone of his voice. "And my parents don't care. But Erik is a jerk."

The ghost girl had all the looks of someone who was preparing herself to scold him for his words, but a sudden noise coming from the hallway seemed to catch her attention. She looked at the door immediately and stood up, suddenly looking very serious.

"Rika?" Ryan called, standing up to follow her. Anything that made his friend get that kind of expression in her face was worth worrying about, for sure. "Rika, that was probably just my brother messing around…"

"There's someone else with him," Rika said in a mutter, cutting Ryan off. "I can feel it."

He didn't like the sound of that. Now that small worry he had multiplied and spread all over his face. "W-what? I-is it one of his friends?" Great, just what he needed. Now he had two bullies in his house instead of just one…

"No," Rika replied. "It's not one of his friends. Your brother brought someone home with him that he shouldn't have. He doesn't belong here."

Ryan didn't understand who Rika could be talking about, but it didn't sound like she like that person one bit. "W-who is it?"

Rika didn't answer his question. Instead, the girl turned around to face him. "Ryan, you know he is hiding again. He won't stop until you find him. You know that, right?"

"Y-yeah…" He knew that, duh, but he'd like to delay that game of hide and seek for as long as possible. _Forever_ , if possible.

The girl turned back towards the door. "Then, come on. It's time to face your fears."

Before Ryan could argue that maybe they could delay the whole "face yours fears" thing for later – say, _a couple of years_ later – the girl just walked through the closed door as if it wasn't even there.

Ryan yelped. He knew Rika was a ghost, but it was still weird – and slightly creepy… - to see her just phase through the door like that. It made him remember that, no matter how "solid" she looked she was, in fact, just a spirit that lingered in the land of the living. The spirit of a girl who died before her time…

Going against his best instincts, he gulped and unlocked the door, deciding he should probably follow his friend outside. She was sensing something that was beyond his abilities, and he should not just ignore it, that's for sure. Whoever this "person" that his brother decided to bring along was, he or she was bad news.

Also, he should just go ahead and find his brother anyway. Locking himself in his room would only delay the inevitable. His brother would find a way to harass him for dinner anyway, so there was no point in trying to stay in his little world.

The boy peeked into the hallway, not seeing his friend Rika anywhere. Then, he noticed the golden plush toy standing in the middle of the corridor, his face turned to him.

His eyes widened. The toy was _standing_. As in, _on its own_.

"R-Rika?"

The toy turned his head around. "Come, on Ryan," the girl's voice spoke from the toy. And the toy just walked away.

Ryan gulped again. If Erik saw the toy just walking around on its own, he would freak out for sure. A part of him wanted to see that happen; the other one, however, argued that Ryan himself was seconds away from freaking out before realizing Rika was the one controlling the toy.

He followed the small toy down the hallway. At the end of it, the child stopped for a few seconds to watch his mother's grandfather's clock tick time away. He had always liked that clock.

"Don't get distracted, Ryan."

The toy was looking down at him from the top of the clock, scowling. Ryan scowled as well. Why did Rika climb up there? Was she showing off?

He checked his sister's room next. He thought it was unlikely that his brother would hide there, but hey, people usually hid in the most unlikely places exactly to avoid being found. His prediction was right, however, as there was no sign of Erik being anywhere in that room. All he found there was the remains of what once was the Toy Foxy toy.

Ryan shook his head. His sister Laura had just received those toys and was already breaking them? He would never do that to his own toys. Then again, that toy was _meant_ to be broken. Maybe so it could be just like the real thing. Even though the real Toy Foxy robot was one of the creepiest robots at the pizzeria, Ryan felt kind of bad for the fox. She was picked apart every day by the other kids, and could do nothing about it. It was kind like what happened to Ryan – he was _emotionally_ picked apart by his brother every day… Man that was philosophical… Rika's "wisdom" was rubbing off on him…

A sudden bump in another room made him flinch. He turned around, in time to see the Rika-possessed golden toy entering the room.

"Over there," the ghost whispered, making the golden bear nod towards the corridor.

Ryan sighed. Damn it, his brother was in the living room. Hiding behind the TV, or the couch, probably… That jerk. Oh well, better go humor him and let him scare the ever living crap out of him, or he wouldn't stop bothering him all day.

"Don't look so defeated already, Ryan," Rika said. "You have to stand up to him."

Ryan didn't reply. Easy for her to say – she was a ghost, she could do whatever she wanted, and Erik would never be able to harass her. He didn't say that out loud though; it wouldn't be right to lash out at Rika.

So, he simply nodded and took in a deep breath. "Time to face his fears", right?

Step by cautious step, he made his towards the living room. Never before had this particular division seemed so ominous to him. Ryan gulped as he looked at the TV and the couch. No sign of his brother, but there was no doubt in the little boy's mind that that brute was somewhere in that room.

Golden Freddy made his way towards the couch and climbed on to it, taking a peek behind the TV. Immediately, the face of the teddy bear contorted, forming a frown.

"Rika?" Ryan called, moving towards the TV. "Is something back there?"

Just as he was a couple of steps away from the TV, someone emerged suddenly from behind it, growling like a wild beast and towering over the small child.

"GROWWWR!"

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

Ryan fell back with a scream, covering his head before the figure could maul him. The tears made his way to his eyes, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep them in. He instantly became a bundle of tears and snot, just like that.

"Aw man, it never goes old!" he heard his brother laugh."Man, you just get wimpier and wimpier every day. Don't you ever get tired of being such a wuss?"

Too busy crying and shivering, Ryan could only look up at his brother from between his arms, which were his only source of comfort at this point. Erik had just taken something off his head, a mask from the looks of it.

Ryan spotted the Golden Freddy toy, still sitting on the couch. Rika was no longer controlling the toy. She was sitting next to it now, with a weird expression in her face. Rika was _glaring_ at Erik. Like, _death_ glare material. It didn't sound like the gentle and comforting Rika he was used to. Like when she had snapped at Ryan for saying he was waste of space, she looked angry. And _scary_.

Erik kneeled next to his crying brother, smirking at the sight of him rolling into fetal position to try and hide away. It wasn't working, naturally.

"Pft, you're pathetic. Look at you. No wonder you have no friends, not counting Goldilocks over there," he commented, nodding at Golden Freddy with the same vicious smirk.

"I see you had someone fix it for you. Was it that brat, Marshall Grayson? Kid thinks he's so tough, just 'cause he's hiding behind his dad. Well, you don't have him here to defend you this time, do you?"

Ryan whimpered. He wanted to say something back at his brother. Something like "Well, you're not so tough either, since you're scared of Mr. Grayson and only go after others when you're with your friends", but the words wouldn't come out. Just sobbing and whimpering. He _was_ a wuss. And that was never going to change.

"Take a look at this, bro." Erik waved something in front of his brother.

It was the mask he was wearing – a mask made out of the head of his Foxy plush toy. Realizing this only made Ryan whimper more loudly. So that's where his friend's head had gone to. Erik turned it into a mask to further torment his younger brother.

Erik laughed. "No way for you to get this one fixed, little crybaby. This mask is going to very useful, heh," he taunted. "And that's not all. Look at what I got from the pizzeria…"

Ryan froze, terrified, though the sobbing increased in volume. Oh God – what did he bring from the pizzeria? Could he have brought one of the robots? No, no, anything but that!

Erik went behind the TV and picked up something small. Ryan felt a hint of relief. No way it was one of the robots; from the size of whatever it was Erik had in his arms, it was just a bit bigger than the plush toys he had in his room. Once Erik went back to kneeling in front of Ryan, he could see it clearly.

It was a rabbit, golden in color, though very smudged, as if it had been aged with time. There were stitches all over its fur, as if it had been repaired, though it seemed to be on purpose. Part of design, apparently.

Ryan took a quick glance at Rika, and, yet again, her expression was weird. She looked worried. The sight of that bunny was obviously making her stress out. Her eyes wouldn't stop darting from Erik to the bunny, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Ryan whimpered, and sniffed. "W-what is t-that?"

"Your new friend, buddy," Erik stated. "Isn't he just precious? He's part of pizzeria's merchandise, so don't even think of getting rid of it. I was allowed to bring in, to show around the kids. Say hello, pal."

He pulled a string on the back of the golden bunny, and tilted his head with a fake innocent expression that only made him look more vicious, if possible.

The toy twitched, and opened its eyes.

" _Hi!"_ the toy greeted with one of its stock phrases. _"My name is Plushtrap. Let's be friends!"_

Ryan gulped. The toy's voice sounded like a small child's, an obnoxious one, in his opinion. And he didn't look right, with his small black irises and blank stare.

But it wasn't the blank stare, the eyes or the voice that worried Rika. She couldn't believe Erik brought that _thing_. So that was the presence she felt accompanying Erik; God, of all things…

' _Erik,'_ she thought sadly. _'What have you brought home…?'_


	5. Chapter 5 - Fear of Knowledge

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Five Nights at Freddy's" or its characters.**

* * *

 _"Hi! My name is Plushtrap. Let's be friends!"_

Ryan frowned, as he kept his staring competition going with the mini golden bunny. Round empty eyes stared back at the child. At this rate, Plushtrap was gonna win this competition, because Ryan was very close to whimpering and hiding in his room for comfort. Even though the plush toy wasn't doing anything creepy, its appearance was enough to make the small boy cringe.

He just looked so… _off_. And, well, the fact that Rika looked so apprehensive about it didn't help him feel better about the situation. Why on Earth did his brother Erik decide to bring it along anyway? Didn't he have enough weapons in his arsenal to torment him with already?

He pulled the string on the bunny's back, and Plushtrap trembled again, ready to release another of his stock phrases.

 _"Let's play hide and seek! I'll be it!"_

"Humph." Ryan finally decided to give the match up to the big-eared plush toy and stood up, turning around. He was not going to stick around to listen to that toy's obnoxious voice. Seriously, whose voice did they use? He sounded like a snotty-nosed brat… "Stupid bunny…"

 **"You're gonna die, Ryan."**

Ryan froze in place. What… _who said that?_

Slowly, he turned his head to look back at Plushtrap, who sat on the chair at the end of the hallway, right where he had left him. It didn't look like he moved an inch. And he was still smiling like a maniac, as per usual. _Creepy thing_.

"… Did you… d-did you say something?"

The toy didn't answer.

"… Bah, it was… p-probably nothing…" Ryan gulped, resuming his lonely walk towards his bedroom. For sure, it was nothing…

* * *

This time he was ready. He was _so_ ready.

Flashlight in hand – in his imagination it looked more like the mighty sword of a soldier, of course – while kneeling in front of his bed, Ryan was standing guard, watching the doors leading to his room closely for any suspicious movement. If the robots decided to return that night – with what purpose, he still wasn't sure – then he'd be prepared. What would he do, exactly, if they did show up? Well… he'd think about that when the time came.

"Ryan," a soft voice called.

The boy managed not to jump and yelp, instead looking at the Golden Freddy plush toy that rested on his pillow with a focused stare. "…Rika?"

"Who else?" The black-haired girl made herself visible, taking the golden toy in her hands. "Everything alright? Why are you still up?"

Ryan looked back at the doors, his focused look intensifying. "I'm keeping watch. In case the robots come back. They have _that thing_ as a spy now, so they could show up at any minute…"

Rika appeared next to him with Golden Freddy in her hands. She tilted her head with a confused expression. "Spy? Who are you talking about?"

"Plushtrap," he replied, without looking away from the doors. "I bet that's the reason he's here. To spy on me."

His friend squeezed the golden bear in her arms, her expression shifting to worry. Just as he thought, Rika knew more about Plushtrap than she was letting on. From the moment she first saw the golden bunny, she looked absolutely horrified – why, he didn't know. Maybe the thing was… _possessed_? God he hoped not… He didn't mind having Rika around even though she was a ghost because she was a friendly ghost – he didn't know if the one controlling Plushtrap would be…

"You might be right on that…" she admitted as she kneeled down next to Ryan. "He might be here to spy on you… But I don't think he's doing it for the robots. They are at the pizzeria. I checked. They are not going anywhere."

As much as he trusted her – and as much as he wanted to believe her – Ryan was 100% sure that he had seen Bonnie and Chica in his house the night before. He saw them, he was sure! Them and those weird mini Freddies… whatever they were!

Why did this kind of thing only happened to _him_?!

"Anyway, you have to be careful, Ryan," Rika warned, sounding very serious. "You can't trust Plushtrap. He's… not what he seems."

No duh; he had already figured that out. It was kind of hard not to, considering how worried Rika looked – nothing that made her look like _that_ could bring about good news. That, coupled with what he thought he heard some hours ago… Was it really Plushtrap who said that…?

 **"You're gonna die, Ryan."**

He shook his head quickly. No, no! He was imagining things, of course. Just like Rika said – maybe he was imagining the robots being in his house too… maybe… hopefully… _please make it so_ …

Once the clock announced midnight, Ryan's body stiffened. Oh God here it was – last night they had arrived at midnight. He had to be ready; he had to stay focused. He couldn't let them catch him off guard… He couldn't let them…

 **"Ryan~"**

Ryan blinked. "Uh?" He looked at Rika, partly hoping that she would look like she hadn't heard anything, just like she couldn't see the robots hanging around his house. Sadly…

"No," she hissed, standing up. Her eyes narrowed as she headed towards the left door of Ryan's room. "Don't answer, Ryan."

"B-but," the boy stuttered, feeling his confidence and readiness flying out the window as it waved a white flag. "W-what was that? I-it sounded like…"

 **"Hey, Ryan,"** the voice called again, snickering. **"What's the matter, pal? Don't you wanna come out and play with your new friend, Plushtrap?"**

Oh God, it _was_ him! And Rika was hearing it too! That meant he wasn't imagining things – and there went his last hope… What did he want?!

"R-Rika…"

"Shh!" Rika brought a finger to her lips, gesturing for him to stay quiet. "Don't answer him, Ryan! Please, stay in your room. I'll go check it out."

And she went through the door, leaving Ryan alone with his fears and unanswered questions. Which were a lot.

"What – no! You can't leave me!" Ryan whimpered, holding the flashlight against his chest, just as he heard footsteps. "Oh no… _Oh no_ …"

The boy gulped. Damn it, he was all alone now. Why did Plushtrap had to go and distract Rika? Now he had no one to stand by his side when the robots arrived – _if_ they arrived. But, he couldn't just stand there and wait for it all to go well, could he? He had to be strong, and brave, even if Rika wasn't there with him. He had to!

So, gathering all his strength, he stood up – albeit his knees trembled a lot – and walked up towards the door. Gulping once again, he grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

 _'Okay, okay… You can do this! You can do this! J-just… turn the doorknob… It's alright… It's alright…'_

The door opened, slowly, making a creaking noise…

 _'I-it's alright… It's alright…'_

The darkness of the hall made it impossible for him to hear anything. So, he pointed the light of the flashlight at the dark hallway…

 _'I-i-i-it's a-a-a-alright…'_

And there, staring at him, was a large purple bunny.

All noise that escaped Ryan's throat was intelligible gargle and whimpering.

Now that he was up this close to the withered robot, the damage its suit had endured over the years was apparent – parts of the suit was missing, exposing its endoskeleton. The nails were absurdly sharp, like fuses, and its red eyes were glimmering with apparent malice; well, at least that's what it looked like to the terrified child. The bunny's mouth twitched, showing its sharp fangs.

 **"** _ **Why…?"**_ it growled, with a guttural tone. _**"WHY?! HELP HER!"**_

"GAAAAAAAH RIKA HELP!"

Ryan slammed the door on the robot's face quickly, leaning against it and breathing heavily, as if the bunny had just concluded a chase after the panicking child until he arrived to the safety of his room.

Oh God oh God oh God – Bonnie was there! He really was there! And he _talked_ to him! That was proof – _undeniable proof_ – that he wasn't imagining things! Why wasn't Rika there yet? If she saw the bunny she could see for herself, once and for all, that they were real, and they were there to haunt Ryan, for whatever reason.

Why wasn't she there yet?!

Ryan pressed his ear against the door, listening closely for any kind of sound. He didn't hear anything, which made him sigh in relief. Thank God it sounded like Bonnie was gone. What did he want? Wait… maybe that meant the other robots were in the house too!

He moved quickly towards the other door and did the same as he had on the left door – pressed his ear against it and listened. Unlike with the other door, he did hear something.

Whispers.

Constant whispering, as if someone was ranting something over and over. Sounded like a girl. Could it be Chica?

Ryan pressed his ear harder against the door to listen – while trying his best to ignore the sound of his heart beating hastily in his chest. What he managed to hear only got him more confused and creeped out:

 **"…I'm sorry…"**

The boy's eyes widened. "W-what…?" he muttered.

 **"…** **I'm sorry… Please… Go to sleep,"** the voice whispered softly. **"Go to sleep – go to sleep – go to sleep – go to sleep – GO TO SLEEP – GO TO SLEEP"**

Okay that was enough of that – Ryan was not going to stand there listening to that creepy mantra any longer! With no other choice but to go back to his lookout position in front of his bed, he kneeled on the floor, his hands trembling so hard that the light emanating from the flashlight quivered on the walls as if it was having a seizure. Ryan blinked, sweating and trying to control his trembling lip, so he wouldn't burst into tears from pure fright.

Why? Why were the robots doing this to him? Was it really because of what he saw? Because of what he saw Golden Freddy do? C'mon, as if he'd tell anyone! Well, other than Rika… but she wouldn't tell anyone either – not like she could, being a ghost and all.

And what were they going on about? First Bonnie says "help her" (whoever "she" is) and then Chica _apologizes_ and tells him to "go to sleep"? As if! How _can_ he sleep, knowing the robots are lurking around his house? Besides, his bed would be the first place those mini Freddies would appear in, so –

Wait.

Ryan blinked. _The mini Freddies…_

He turned around slowly, pointing the flashlight on his bed. Sure enough, the bed wasn't empty anymore. The three mini Freddies were there, spazzing out as they always did.

Ryan blinked again. _He was not going to show fear_. _He couldn't show fear._

"W…" He gulped. "W-what d-d-do you w… w-want?" _'Wow Ryan, that was truly incredible. You sure showed those mini Freddies who's boss! Not a drop of fear in that voice – no sir! How embarrassing…'_

As if sensing Ryan kicking himself mentally for being such a wimp, the mini Freddies giggled.

 **"** _ **What do we want?**_ **"** one of them repeated, cackling madly. **"I don't know! He wants to know what we want, guys!** _ **What do we want?**_ **"**

The one in the middle snorted. **"You'd have to ask the** _ **boss**_ **, pumpkin ~ Ha! Good luck with that – not much of a talker that one. Reaaaaaaaaaaaal party pooper.** _ **Party pooper – party pooper~**_ **"**

 **"True, true,"** the third one admitted, trying to conceal his laughter – and failing horribly. **"He'll probably just** _ **grunt**_ **at you. Like a** _ **grumpy bear**_ **who didn't hibernate long enough** _ **.**_ **Or didn't eat enough honey!"**

All three of the mini Freddies burst into loud laughter that rang on Ryan's ears. He narrowed his eyes at them, his grasp on the flashlight tightening. These three were _insane_.

 **"Hey, _hey_! I have an idea though!" ** the Freddy in the middle laughed, jumping up and down. **"Why don't you ask good ol' Captain Foxy, uh? Maybe** _ **he'll**_ **tell you!"**

Oh God no – "F-Foxy's here too?!" Ryan snapped.

This caused all three of the mini Freddies to start laughing hysterically again at his misery. Well, there was one thing they had in common with his brother, Erik…

The mini Freddy who laughed the loudest spoke up, barely managing to pronounce properly amidst the snorting and cackling. **"D-did you hear that?** _ **'Foxy's here too?!'**_ **"** he laughed, mimicking the voice of a baby whining. **"'Course he's here too, muffin! We couldn't have a party without every member!"**

 **"Cheer up, honey-pop,"** another mini Freddy giggled. **"Sure, he has BIG and SHARP fangs, and his BIG and SHARP hook, but he's not a bad guy, right? RIIIIIIGHT? There's nothing to be afraid of! Just go look in the closet~ Go on~ HAHAHAHAHA!"**

 **"But are you really sure you want to know?"** they all asked in unison, their eyes gleaming with malice.

And with one final choir of laughter, the mini Freddies slithered under Ryan's bed, leaving the echoing of their cackling and snickering ringing in the boy's brain. Jeez, they were so annoying…

Ryan looked at the closet. So, Foxy was hiding there, uh? He hadn't made any kind of movement yet, though… Could he not want to do anything to Ryan, like the others obviously did? Could he be… _friendly?_ Bah, fat chance! No way!

… But _maybe_ …

… _Hopefully…_

Step by cautious step, Ryan approached the closet, feeling like a man walking towards his eminent doom. As he reached for the doorknobs, he felt like he heard something move inside the closet. _There was something there…_ Foxy, perhaps? _Waiting to attack?_ He couldn't back down now. Wanting to get it over with at once, he decided to just open the doors quickly.

Maybe that would be the last thing he'd do. He didn't even know why he was doing this – it went against his better instincts. _And_ he really should wait for Rika, just to be safe…

… Or not. Something small inside him told him that he should do this by himself. He had to try and be brave, without Rika or Marshall to protect him. _He had to be strong in their behalf_. He couldn't just keep relying on them forever.

Once the doors were wide open, Ryan saw a flash of red. Foxy the Pirate Fox stood tall over him menacingly, his hook hovering right above his head, as if threatening to behead him with one quick swipe. The fox's jaw snapped open, revealing his sharp fangs.

All Ryan could do was stare, still holding the doorknobs. Part of him was screaming at him to _"CLOSE THE CLOSET, YOU IDIOT!"_ but another part of him was just… blank. Huh. So this is how it felt like to be truly frozen by fear. He couldn't move a muscle. Couldn't even scream or cry! Like he forgot how to. Funny, he didn't do much of anything else, really – you'd think he'd know how to do _that_.

Foxy looked down at him with his gleaming yellow eyes. And he spoke.

 **"Three days,"** he growled.

Ryan finally regained his voice to mutter a weak "Huh…?"

 **"Three days… until the party…"**

The party…? His eyes widened in understanding – _his_ party. His birthday party _would_ in fact be taking place in three days, but…

"W-what about my party?" he asked, gulping. _Did he really want to know the answer…?_

The fox took a while to respond. He moved his robotic hands towards the doors that Ryan insisted on holding on to – as if it would protect him somehow – and held on to them. With one harsh pull, he yanked them away from Ryan's grasp, who yelped.

Ryan stared into Foxy's golden eyes, and he could have sworn he saw a hint of sadness in them. And before the robot closed the doors of the closet himself, he finally said something else.

 **"…** **She can't save you… matey…** _ **Not without losing herself**_ **…"**

* * *

 **[A/N - AH GOD it's been so long since I've last updated my "A Golden Opportunity" series ;_;**

 **But here it is! A brand new chapter, which will - hopefully - be worth the wait. A little hint towards the Nightmares' true behaviour~**

 **ALSO**

 **Have you _seen_ that FNAF Sister Location trailer?! Shit that was some creepy stuff going on right there - this "Baby" character might just push the Puppet off the 1st place in my "Creepiest Animatronic" list... **

**I don't know if I'll include this new game in my FanFiction series, honestly... I mean, I want to - OH DO I WANT TO DAMN IT - but I might not be able to if it goes against the plot I've estabilished for my AU... Hopefully it will be like FNAF 4 and I'll be able to include the plot into my AU somehow... I dunno...]**


End file.
